At first, I felt guilty about not completing this 30-day challenge. It felt like I was just giving up, and I'm sorry. But it's because I threw myself into my new job DailyCandy...and loved it.I hadn't felt so alive in years.

I was more confident; I felt connected, respected, and happy. The women in my NYC-based team were smart, hilarious, driven. And they challenged me to be a better writer, editor, and communicator. I had the creative control to do just about any story I wanted. I pretended to be an Olympic athlete. I wrote about women making a difference in the world, and those who'd overcome so much more than me. The site was breaking records in terms of traffic. The Chicago page, in particular, was seeing high enough traffic to meet my goals for the next four months (all thanks to this smokey cat eye tutorial).

I was just getting started.

And then, in the style of a boyfriend you love (even when he stresses you out) dumps you out of the blue, it was over. As I watched our president say the fatal words from my laptop, the sound cut in and out. Wait, what? It's with a heavy heart..."NBC no longer thinks DailyCandy is a viable part of its portfolio." We were closing and I couldn't help but feel alone in my apartment, thousands of miles away from the others.

I've been through this whole losing-your-job-thing before. But this time it's different. I could look at it many ways, but I'm choosing to take a positive perspective. I'm also planning to take a bit of time to let this marinate, which means I'll be doing lots of crafting, cooking, playing with Louis, and blogging again.

Thanks for reading. Here's to the next step — whichever way it takes me.